The shilajit market is rife with lies. Many companies conjure up dubious claims to bump their products to the top of buyer’s lists and into their shopping carts.
This may leave you asking: how can I see through the smoke & mirrors?
Well, worry not! Shilajit shenanigans, though found in droves, can be classified neatly under 5 Big Lies. Which, when exposed, can help you separate the real from the ruse.
Lie #1: The Fulvic Fabrication
When marketing shilajit, companies love to look to one of shilajit’s heavy lifters for help: fulvic acid.
Fulvic acid, found within shilajit extracts, is closely associated with shilajit’s major health benefits: energy improvement and gut stabilization. Therefore, its presence is an important factor to advertise when selling a shilajit product.
Unfortunately, many companies use testing method loopholes to claim their fulvic acid percentage is higher than it actually is.
How can you see through the lie?
The quickest way to know the shilajit you’re seeing is fake is when a product’s fulvic acid is listed as over 35-40% on a product advertised as “pure”, “ancient”, or “all-natural” shilajit. A small bit of fulvic goes a long way and any otherworldly percent claims are often lies.
There are chemically refined products that exist in which the fulvic acid percentage may be higher, however, this does not mean the product is safe for your consumption.
Lie #2: Shilajit Taste Troubles
True shilajit is a product of the earth’s natural refinery. Every ounce of true shilajit that’s on the market today has taken centuries to form in the ground. Thus, there is one, undeniable truth which all pure shilajit products cannot deny.
Real shilajit tastes like dirt.
If any products that come across your ad-spaces claim they’re selling ancient, or pure, shilajit that tastes sweet or candy-like, smells like flowers, or looks like gummy bears, they’re likely pushing heavily modified or counterfeit product. Many fake shilajit sellers add waxes, use artificial fragrances or flavors, or turn to the power of dyes to manufacture products that they claim have all the health benefits of pure shilajit, while also being as “naturally” edible as candy on a store shelf.
How can you swerve the shi-lie-jit?
The best way to see through packaging lies is to look on a product’s website, or contact a company directly, for their Certificate of Analysis (COA). Any certificate you find, or receive, should match the batch number of the product being advertised to you, and will have the minerals, fulvic content, toxins, and more listed on it. Operation American Grit has a publicly available COA on our website.
Lie #3: The Shilajit Origins Operation
Many shilajit scams claim that other shilajit on the market is fake if it isn’t directly from the Himalayan mountains. However, shilajit has origins from many parts of the world. Different origins of shilajit do affect its mineral composition, but that doesn’t mean that non-himalayan shilajit is a scam.
One of shilajit’s main conditions for formation is a location in a high, mountainous region. Many of those exist outside of the Himalayas, which is why shilajit can be found in places like the Andes mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and more.
How can you avoid the lie?
This one is simple! Products and companies that claim to have the “only true, Himalayan shilajit”, or try to undermine shilajit formed in other mountain regions, without openly providing their product’s analysis certificate are best to avoid.
There are lots of shilajit options out there, for your safety, it’s best to avoid the red flags as you find them rather than take your chances.
Lie #4: Metals, Bacteria, & Toxins, Oh My!
It cannot be denied that– even if a product is filled with artificial dyes, flavors, or perfumes– some scam companies do still use some real shilajit in their products. However, even if the products shrouded with false claims have a shred of true shilajit within them, that does not guarantee their safety.
Shilajit, having been formed in rocks and mountains, carries with it the raw materials of those places. This means that, congruent to its beneficial materials, it can be filled with heavy metals, bacteria, toxins, and molds which can cause undue harm to those who consume it. Without proper processing, shilajit can be harmful.
How can you find safe shilajit?
Finding safe shilajit is a matter of finding a company that offers transparency. Properly processed shilajit is still pure and can be safe for consumption. At risk of sounding redundant, finding a product’s COA is important when checking for heavy metals, bacteria, and other toxins.
A legitimate COA will not only list the batch number of the product you’re looking to buy, but will also list the testing methods used for each category. For example, the LAMAR test for fulvic acid, ICP-MS for heavy metals, and ICP-OES for minerals.
Certificates of Analysis should also list the ranges in which each substance being tested for can appear and still be safe to consume.
Lie #5: Feels Like Trouble’s Afoot
Shilajit texture is a descriptor that many companies harp on to push their products. Shilajit, to crudely summarize it, is rock goo. This innate “gooeyness” is why so many scam shilajit companies emphasize their product’s waxy, sticky texture.
To be fair to them, legitimate shilajit does, in fact, meet those descriptors at room temperature. However, it’s what happens after it is heated, or cooled, which determines its legitimacy.
How can scam shilajit texture be tested?
Thankfully, if you receive a shilajit product that you suspect to be a fraud, there are some easy tests you can do. When it comes to texture, shilajit should be waxy at room temperature. But, when cooled, it should become hard & shatter like glass when struck. When mixed in warm water, shilajit should completely dissolve, not have any straggling particles floating about.
If any “pure” or “ancient” shilajit you receive does not behave like it should, it’s likely that you’re in possession of a product filled with artificial waxes, gums, and additives to make it seem shi-legit.
Counterfeit Conspiracy or Credible Commodity?
It’s imperative to emphasize, once again, that the shilajit market is rife with lies. However, pure shilajit itself is very legitimate. Its health benefits are worth going through the trouble of finding a reputable source of shilajit for yourself and your family or friends. This guide is here to offer you tools to build an addition to a healthier life for you and your loved ones.
Can’t find something up to snuff? Check out Operation American Grit’s American “Shilajit” and feel free to apply your newly equipped lie-detecting tools to us!
Leave a Reply